Farmers Market Time in Cedar Rapids

I was born in Iowa, and 32 years ago, my family and I moved to Cedar Rapids. When you live in a place long enough, you become attuned to its rhythms. It's summertime in Cedar Rapids — it's getting warm, the days are growing longer, school is out, and the pools are open. But the surest sign of summer in Cedar Rapids is the opening of the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market. This is the market’s 20th year, and it continues to thrive.

I've visited farmers markets across the United States, and though I'm admittedly a bit biased, I can safely say that ours is one of the best. If you've never been to the Downtown Farmers Market — shame on you! But let me explain a little bit about the market. Yes, you can buy fresh meat and produce, but there is so much more. You’ll find a variety of craft items, artwork, egg rolls, Pad Thai, mini doughnuts, coffee, snow cones, and boba tea. There are martial arts demonstrations, buskers singing and playing instruments, and lots of things for kids. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see one of the best jugglers in the world. Doug Sayers grew up in Cedar Rapids and is a legend in the world of juggling. When he's home, he’s been known to juggle on a street corner at the market.

Another thing I love about the market is that it truly is a community event. The Linn County Trails Association provides free valet bike parking in Greene Square. Several city and county government departments have information booths. Many local nonprofits give out information about their services. And every time I go to the market, I run into friends and neighbors.

One of the big changes at the farmers market this year is the absence of one of the landmark vendors: my friend Tim—The Salsa Guy. He has been at the market since the beginning. Like many other market-goers, I made sure to stop by his space next to the railroad tracks on 2nd Ave SE every time. I loved his brisket burritos, and I always left with a selection of his fresh seasonal salsas.

Even though the Salsa Guy is no longer at the market, you can still enjoy some of that goodness at his new venue, the Salsa Guy Café on Mount Vernon Road. He still carries some of the farmers market favorites, including burritos and salsas, and he also has an excellent sandwich menu. Even though this is the café’s first year of operation, the Conquistador Burger was one of 10 finalists in the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association’s Best Burger in Iowa contest! My personal favorite is the Alfalfa’s Experience, an authentic recreation of the Alfalfa’s deli sandwich that many longtime Cedar Rapidians will remember.

My biography in The Gazette includes the sentence:

He is a Sunday schoolteacher, deacon, and occasional preacher in a local Baptist church.

Therefore, it should be no surprise that as a Christian, I see it as my duty to share the gospel with the world. The Salsa Guy may be gone from the market, but you can still find Jesus there. For the last couple of years, a group of friends from my church has been sharing the gospel on the corner of 3rd Ave SE and Fifth Street SE, near Greene Square and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sometimes, they hold signs about heaven. Sometimes, someone preaches or reads the Bible aloud. They hand out pamphlets about the gospel, and if people are interested, they stop and talk.

The word gospel means “good news.” It’s the message that God loves us, that we are separated from Him by our sin, and that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins and reconcile us to God. The book of John sums it up nicely:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. — John 3:16—17 KJV

So, if the weather’s nice next weekend, I hope you’ll head down to the market. Pick up some goat cheese, maybe a yard decoration, and definitely treat yourself to some mini doughnuts. And before you leave, I hope you’ll stop by the corner of 5th and 3rd to hear more about Jesus — and how you can be saved.

David Chung is a Gazette editorial fellow. david.chung@thegazette.com